Prominent socio-cultural, literary and media personalities in Kerala on Saturday came forward protesting against alleged media hunting of the state government.
In a joint statement, they said that the action of the Kerala Police against journalists for reporting stories and reading news and asking them to appear at the police station for questioning is anti-democratic and the denial of freedom of the press.
In the statement signed by 137 cultural leaders, they urged the Kerala Police to withdraw all the actions taken against Asianet News journalists Akhila Nandakumar, Abjod Varghese and Malayalam Manorama (Kollam) Special Correspondent Jayachandran Ilankat, who investigated and published a report on the corruption of Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited, unconditionally.
The democratic civil society of Kerala is worried over the statements made by the ministers and the ruling party leaders in Kerala justifying the police actions against the journalists, they said.
The socio-cultural personalities said it is ironic that the same people who constantly criticize the misuse of investigative agencies against journalists by the Central government are threatening freedom of the press in the state they are in power.
The signatories to the statement include KG Shankara Pillai (Poet), C Radhakrishnan (Novelist), BRP Bhaskar (Senior journalist), B Rajeevan (Writer), Dr M Kunjaman (Economist), KC Narayanan (Journalist), MG Radhakrishnan (Journalist), MP Surendran (Journalist), Shihabuddin Poithumkadav (Writer) and Kalpatta Narayanan (Writer).